


Yesterday, Forgotten

by thingcalledlove



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Crimes & Criminals, Domestic Violence, Dubious Consent, F/M, GGPAT2020, Organized Crime, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:15:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24428620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thingcalledlove/pseuds/thingcalledlove
Summary: GGPAT2020 Prompt:  Beth has a secret past. In her short time at college, she dated a gang leader. He treated her like crap. Present time, she has to accompany Rio to a meeting with his Boss, and it’s her ex-boyfriend.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 55
Kudos: 223
Collections: Good Girls Prompt-a-thon 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a one-shot but life happened and I didn't have time to finish but still wanted to get something up for my time slot. Enjoy!

_PRESENT DAY  
DETROIT _

Beth knew she looked [good](https://external-preview.redd.it/uuJA12KpyuGMzZ69y4ZsvJF35o4IGSVHaDxky_tWW6c.jpg?auto=webp&s=77c69592f3f2b6c3da5bd96eba10621a6ef3f4da).

The maroon dress hugged her curves and accentuated the hourglass figure she usually hid underneath her sensible mom clothes.

This dress had been a spontaneous purchase after the first round of washing cash at Boland Bubbles went off without a hitch. It had been the right move, and she knew Rio was impressed, even though he would never admit it, of course.

The fracture between them was gradually healing, and he was slowly bringing her back into the fold of his shady dealings.

Though there was nothing shady about the opulent hotel ballroom they were currently in.

She still didn’t know why he dragged her here. He had just sent a quick text telling her to dress up and be ready for 7pm. He then proceeded to ignore all her texts for the rest of the afternoon. Jackass.

She could feel several sets of eyes on her as she walked forward, her arm lightly resting on the one Rio held out for her.

He was also dressed to the nines, forgoing his usual dark washed jeans and button up for a black tux with a crisp white shirt. He had forgone the tie, opting to leave the top two buttons unbuttoned, letting his neck tattoo be the focal point. Beth had almost tripped in her heels when she first laid eyes on him. She hated that he could look _that_ good.

“Are you going to tell me why we’re here?”

“Business,” he drawled in that low grumbly voice of his.

“I figured as much,” Beth retorted with a slight eye roll. “Is there anything more you tell me?”

He looked down at her, and she could feel his eyes snag on her lips before dipping lower for a fraction of a second then coming to bore into her own, “No.”

Beth pulled her gaze away first, pretending to be interested in the grand space before her while people milled about, all dressed impeccably.

Rio was tense, she could tell that much for sure. He stood up straight, shoulders stiff and unmoving and his gaze was hard. Unrelenting. He had taken his boss persona up a couple hundred notches. It was jarring.

She had literally watched him kill a person in front of her, and he hadn’t looked as lethal then as he did now. Something big was going down.

“Markie?”

Beth froze. Her spine stiffened and for a moment she forgot how to breathe. It was only when she felt Rio lightly touch her back that she managed to pivot slightly to look at the approaching stranger.

Except he was no stranger. In front of her stood the last man on the planet that she ever wanted to lay eyes on again. Anthony Andretta.

* * *

_OCTOBER 1998  
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY_

Beth let out a string of curses as she ran through groups of people clustered around doing nothing to her 8am Economics class. She had slept in. She never slept in.

Her day was meticulously organized from her 7-minute shower in the communal washroom to her 3-minute payphone check-in with Annie to make sure she got home from school okay. At 8pm, she would call Ruby from her dorm phone, and mostly listen to her and Stan chatter about their time at Wayne State. Beth found peace in the fact that they were only a 9-minute drive away.

She had not intended to go to Detroit Mercy, but the church she was a member of, but hardly attended, had offered to pay her tuition for the year at the private Catholic college. She knew it was because they felt sorry for her. Her maternal grandparents had been well respected members of the church, even though her mother had not been.

Beth tried to sneak into the class unseen. Usually she would have gone and taken her usual spot in the front row, but this time, to stay discreet, she plopped down in the first available seat she had come across in the third row from the back.

In an attempt to fish out her notebook from her bag, she elbowed the person next to her. She looked up, ready to apologize, but was taken aback by the most stunning grey eyes she had ever seen.

* * *

_PRESENT DAY  
DETROIT_

Beth blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, but no. Those were the same grey eyes that had captured her attention all those years ago. She felt sick.

“You look…amazing,” Anthony Andretta said in a voice so slick it made her want to gag. His eyes took in every last inch of her body. She could feel Rio tense beside her, but a quick glance at him showed her cold indifference.

“How do you two know each other?” Anthony asked, directing the question at Rio as he looked between them. He stood with a casual ease that Beth was intimately familiar with. Her quick wit and usual sass had evaporated the moment he had spoken. She had become that same terrified 18-year-old she had been all those years ago. The one she promised she would never be again.

* * *

_DECEMBER 1998  
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY_

Beth was trying to study for her Economics final that would be taking place on the following Monday, but she kept getting distracted by the feel of Anthony’s lips grazing over her shoulder and toward the back of her neck.

“We’re supposed to be studying,” Beth reminded him gently, pushing him away with a shy smile.

He flopped down on the bed beside her and looked up at her with his mesmerizing eyes. “There is no way you’re going to fail this exam,” he said confidently.

“What about you?” Beth teased, “I don’t think you’ve even cracked open the textbook.”

“I don’t have to,” he replied with a wink. He didn’t expand on the sentiments, though it was not the first time he had brushed her worry aside.

Beth was starting to think there was more to it than he was letting on, but she wasn’t willing to push too deep. This relationship of theirs was fairly new. They had been officially dating for a little over a month, but their first date had been right after the Econ class in which Beth had elbowed him accidentally.

Anthony was older, and at 22, he was in his final year while she was just starting her college experience. Econ was a class he was taking in order to have enough credits to graduate, and his work ethic had shown as much.

“Come on, Markie,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts, using the pet name he had coined for her. “I’m leaving for two whole weeks to see my family over the holidays; I want to enjoy our last few nights together.”

Beth let him pull her down until he was laying beside her. His fingers ran up and down her side as he lightly kissed the sensitive skin by her jaw.

Beth was conflicted. On one hand, Anthony made her feel special in a way that Dean never did. On the other hand, there was something about Anthony that unsettled her. He had a way of making her do what he wanted, even when she didn’t necessarily want to. She mentally scolded herself as the thought cross her mind. Anthony had been nothing but a perfect gentleman, and while she may not have felt completely ready to have sex with him, she could still do some things to make the next few nights worthwhile.

She rolled over so that she lay on top of him, taking him by surprise for a moment. He grinned at her before rolling them back over, so that he was the one on top. She gave him the briefest of nods, and his grin grew wider still.

* * *

_PRESENT DAY  
DETROIT_

“Tony?” A gentle voice called out from their left. A woman with thick, dark brown waves that flowed down her back joined their little trio. Another face from the long-forgotten past assaulted her. Marisol.

The other woman looked at her, then through her, as if she had no idea who Beth was. “Sorry to pull you away, but something came up. Mario is looking for you.”

That seemed to be enough to break the spell Beth had unwillingly cast on her former ex. He stepped away, then paused, “I’ll find you again soon.” It sounded like a threat.

She allowed Rio to lead her to the bar, in a daze, as she processed the current turn of events.

“Wanna tell me what the hell that was about.” Rio not so much questioned as he demanded, motioning the bartender over and ordering two bourbon on the rocks simultaneously.

“I uh, well…” Beth started, not because she was confused but rather still very much in shock.

Rio slid the drink over, and Beth downed it all in one go, barely reacting to the burn as it travelled down her throat.

“He…I—we knew each other. Years ago,” Beth finally managed to let out. Rio cocked up an eyebrow at her before sliding his own untouched drink towards her, which she took gratefully.

“You dated.” Rio said it so matter of fact, that for a moment, all Beth could do was stare at him. Then it clicked.

“You already knew,” she accused, turning to jab a finger into his ridiculously hard peck.

“Dangerously close to where you’ve already done some lasting damage.” His voice was like ice, but there was a hint of amusement that Beth could only now pick up on after paying so much attention to the little quirks of the man that stood before her. “Nah,” he continued easily, “I suspected, but I didn’t know.”

She wanted to ask him how. How did he come by this information? It was part of her past that not even Annie knew about. Ruby also only had the smallest kernels of information, and none of it important enough to truly resonate. No, this was secret she had planned to take to the grave with her. An embarrassing chapter in her life she had practically forgotten until it had walked up to her. She had a million questions for Rio but settled for the most important one.

“How are you connected to all this?” Beth inquired, taking a slow sip of the newly pilfered bourbon. She decided to ignore his little remark about her shooting him.

“Andretta,” Rio said, nodding in the direction of the other man, who Beth noticed was still looking at her as he spoke to a few other well-dressed men, “He runs this whole thing.”

“You mean he’s your boss.” Beth clarified, feeling stunned.

“And by proxy, yours too.” He didn’t sound thrilled about it either.

* * *

_FEBRUARY 1999  
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY_

What had started out so promising was slowly turning into a waking nightmare.

Beth pulled the sleeves down over the purple and blue bruises that spanned her left forearm from where Anthony had gripped her the day before.

She had been chatting with a friend from her psychology class when Anthony had stumbled across them on campus.

He had gripped her arm tightly as he introduced himself to the guy she had been talking to. On the surface, he was the picture of politeness, sharing a quick laugh with the other man before tugging her away with some excuse about needing to speak with her.

Beth looked at herself in the mirror that hung against the back of her dorm door. She looked so pale that her naturally red hair looked fake.

The gentleness had faded after the holidays, and in it’s place she found an angry, possessive man waiting for her.

She was now almost certain he had people watching her, because he always managed to find her when she knew that he shouldn’t have.

He had a cellphone, the only person she knew who did, and he would step out to take a call, only to return angrier than before.

She had spent time with him and his close friends in his apartment, where she overheard conversations in Italian that she couldn’t understand, but the Italian word for money was one she did know, and it was repeated many times. Even in that situation, she was more of a prop than a person, expected to perch in his lap and stay quiet as he not so subtly let his hands rove over her body.

Beth continued to stare at the shell of a person she had become in two short months. Anthony Andretta was bad news, and she was starting to realize that she had bitten off much more than she could chew with him. She had put enough of the puzzle together to realize she had gotten herself into something that she wouldn’t be able to untangle herself from all that easily.

“Hey!” followed by a loud bang against her door made her jump. Her heart beat a mile a minute, “Hurry the hell up.”

“Coming!” Beth shouted back trying to make herself sound peppy. She slung the crossbody bag over her shoulder and shoved her arms into the wool coat that hung up on a hook beside the door.

She swung the door open to see an agitated Anthony standing on the other side. His hand open, frozen in the air as if he was about to bang on the door again.

“Took you long enough,” he said darkly, looking her up and down a few times before letting out a frustrated sigh, “Good enough.”

He turned on his heels, giving Beth no choice but to follow behind.

* * *

_PRESENT DAY  
DETROIT_

Beth walked side by side with Rio, his hand resting gently on her back, as he moved them towards an alcove and away from prying eyes and ears.

Once they had some semblance of privacy, Beth turned on her heels and stared up at the man that hovered several inches above her. She hated how good he looked all dressed up. His stance was casual, hands in the pockets of her overpriced pants and a blank expression on his face.

“How?”

“You gonna need to be more specific, darling,” he drawled out lazily.

Beth fumed. It didn’t help that she could see some amusement in his eyes as he watched her try and get control over herself.

“How are you a part of the Detroit Partnership?” Beth questioned.

The amusement in his eyes faded as his voice took on a gruffer tone, “Didn’t know you were aware of it.”

“You think I just dated Anthony Andretta and didn’t put together who he was or more important, who he worked for? Not that he even bothered to try and to hide it much.”

“He wasn’t the most discreet,” Rio agreed darkly.

“The Detroit Partnership is essentially the Italian mafia,” Beth continued, “and they are strict about keeping it all in the family. You’re not Italian.” It was a statement initially, but after peering at Rio for a long moment, she couldn’t help but squint, “Are you?”

“Not enough to matter,” Rio replied, which immediately stunned Beth. Rio was not one for sharing personal details.

In the last however many years she had known him, she could confidently say that she could count all the personal details she knew about him on her fingers, with some to spare.

“But you are, somewhat, Italian?” Beth asked, wanting clarification.

His eyes narrowed on her, but he let out a soft sigh, his stance relaxing slightly, “My great-grandfather ran this whole thing. Had two sons, with two different women. One was my grandfather, half Italian, half Mexican, and the other was Andretta’s grandfather.”

“Which means—”

“Andretta is my second cousin,” Rio finished. “My side got a hell of a lot more Mexican though. Might have something to do with my _abuelita_ being the daughter of a Mexican drug lord.”

He had said it all so offhandedly, but Beth could tell there was a lot more going on under the surface, but now was definitely not the time to dig into it.

She had always assumed that Rio was just some mid-level gangbanger, because Detroit had plenty of those, and he didn’t exactly look the part of high-ranking member of the Detroit Partnership.

Some families passed on their family heirlooms, but Rio’s passed on an entire criminal enterprise. Maybe even two.

She didn’t need to ask him to know that he was a heavy hitter amongst this crowd. She could tell by the way people were giving him a wide berth, as if the last thing they wanted was his attention. Andretta had been the only one to approach them tonight, which again, made sense with him being the _Boss_ and all.

Rio was outranked, but just barely, it seemed. Beth grimaced at the knowledge.

“Why are we here?” she asked, switching the topic to something that she hoped was a little safer.

Rio smirked at that, holding out his arm for her, before guiding her towards an empty table. He held out the chair for her before claiming the seat to her left.

Beth could see that a few others were starting to take their seats as well.

“It’s a birthday,” Rio finally said.

Beth looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression before it clicked. He was answering her question.

“Dare I ask whose birthday?” Beth muttered darkly as she took a sip from the champagne flute that appeared before her.

“Gia. Andretta’s sixteen-year-old daughter.”

Beth stared at him, mouth slightly agape.

“You brought me to a family event?” She asked incredulously.

“Look around,” Rio directed, “Does this _look_ like a family event?”

It certainly did not. Especially not that of a sixteen-year-old. No, it looked like a meeting of the old boy’s club, and in a way, it probably was.

“Just a front,” Rio confirmed, letting his arm rest on the back of her chair. She could feel him lightly stroking the bare skin of her arm as a few others joined them wearily.

Rio didn’t bother introducing her, jumping into shop talk with a few of the men. They gave her a hesitant look, before deciding that if Rio could talk freely in front of her, they could as well.

It was all so very fascinating, enough so that Beth couldn’t even bring herself to be annoyed with Rio for not including her.

The mood shifted when Andretta took a seat at their table, in the vacant spot to her right.

She felt Rio stiffen beside her. It was clear that Andretta had just gone off book if the expressions of the rest of the table was anything to go by.

Rio continued to gently brush his fingers against her skin, but they were the only thing providing a minuscule separation between herself and Anthony.

She was now trapped between the two most frighteningly powerful people she had ever encountered and felt no more than a pawn in a game she hadn’t realized she was playing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this was supposed to be a two part story, but I haven't had much time to work on it, so I thought I would give you a little now, and the rest later.

_END OF MARCH 1999  
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY_

“Don’t touch me!” Beth screamed as Anthony pushed her up against the wall and held her there tightly, leaving no room for her to maneuver.

She has come with him to a party his friend was throwing off campus, even though she should have been studying for her finals. Anthony had not given her a choice.

“Listen bitch,” he forcefully whispered into her face, digging his blunt nails into the skin of her wrist, which he had pinned at her sides. “I’ll do what I want.”

He didn’t give her a chance to retort, his hand coming up to backhand her in the face before he pushed away from her completely.

Beth fell down to her knees, clutching her face in disbelief. She could taste the metallic taste of blood as it welled up in her mouth. Her blood.

“Look what you fucking made me do!” he yelled, startling her out of her shock. He paced back and forth in the tiny room he had co-opted, running his fingers through his hair.

The door opened and young woman that Beth didn’t recognize walked in.

She didn’t look towards Beth at all, her focus strictly on Anthony.

“You’ve been summoned,” she told him, her voice full of meaning that Beth couldn’t pick up on.

“Fuck,” Anthony cussed, looking towards Beth just once before shoving past the brunette in the doorway and storming out.

With the door open, Beth could hear the heavy bass of the music. It was drowned out slightly when the brunette closed the door and finally looked at Beth.

“You need to leave,” she stated simply.

Beth spit out a mouthful of blood and glared at the other girl.

“I’m Marisol,” she introduced with a sigh, coming over to kneel before Beth and gently lifted her head up to examine the bleed.

“Busted lip and the beginnings of a nasty bruise, but otherwise unscathed…your face at least,” she amended when she noticed the bruises already emerging on Beth’s wrists.

Beth just stared at her, afraid that this might just be another one of Anthony’s cruel jokes at her expense. It wasn’t the first time someone in his circle appeared to be helping her, before truly selling her out to Anthony.

“He’ll only keep hurting you if you stay,” Marisol continued, “I’m giving you a chance to leave, but you need to leave. Out of the school and out of the city. He’s..dangerous. He’ll only get more so. You don’t know him. Not really.”

“I think I know enough,” Beth admitted finally, “I know he’s part of the Detroit Partnership.”

Marisol froze for a second before nodding, “Yeah he’s not exactly quiet, is he? But he’s not just a part of it. He _is_ it. Get out while you can.”

With those parting words, Marisol stood up and left.

Beth stayed in the empty room for another few seconds before getting up and stumbling to the window. They were on the ground floor, so Beth pried open the window and slipped out.

She took Marisol’s advice seriously.

Dean had been calling recently, telling her how much he missed her, and how he was leaving school to take over the dealership.

She hadn’t entertained the idea before, but now it seemed like her only safe option. Dean was nice. He had never hit her. She could force herself to settle for him.

Those were her thoughts as she walked the twenty minutes to campus. Those were her thoughts as she packed up her stuff, throwing it into whatever bags she could find. Those were her thoughts as she dialed the phone with shaky hands.

“Dean? Hey, it’s me…Beth. I’ve been thinking about what you said…”

He never did ask her about the bruises. Dean was good at avoiding the obvious.

* * *

_PRESENT DAY  
DETROIT_

“Mark—”

“Don’t,” Beth said cutting him off with a voice that sounded a lot more confident than she felt, “call me that.”

He looked taken aback for a second, probably not used to being spoken to like that. He recovered quickly with a soft chuckle.

Rio kept his arm strategically placed around her, looking unbothered, but a quick peek in his direction showed the slightest tick in jaw. He was irritated.

“How on earth did Beth Marks gets rolled up in this world…again?” Anthony mused to himself loudly, looking around the table at the others sitting there.

Beth stiffened, but she would not allow herself to cower. Not in front of him, Not again.

The conversation stalled as a man with a microphone started speaking. A birthday party, Beth reminded herself. This was a cover, but the show would proceed.

A young girl dressed to the nines in a beautiful flowing gown entered the room. Beth feigned interest in the ceremony that was going on. It gave her a reason to avoid Anthony.

She felt the exact moment Rio lifted his arm up off of her. She didn’t even get a chance to miss his warmth before his hand reached against her body and found her thigh. He was still focused on the front that was a sweet sixteen, but his thumb rubbed circles on her dress clad thigh.

They were in a weird place right now, with everything that had gone down between them in the last couple of months, but she’d pick the devil she knew over the literal devil any day of the week.

Rio would at least tell her why he was killing her before shooting her in the face.

* * *

Beth made an escape to the bathroom the moment Anthony was distracted by something else.

She locked the door behind her before staring at herself in the mirror. She took a deep breath to center herself. She was a grown ass woman, and she had come a long away from that scared little girl that just wanted to be loved.

There was a soft knock on the door, then a familiar “Yo.”

She moved to unlock the door.

Rio stepped into the small place and shut the door behind him.

For a moment, she flashed back to the last time they were in the bathroom together.

She looked at him through the reflection and saw him looking back. His mind seemed to go back to that night as well.

She hated how sinfully good he looked all dressed up. It made it so much harder to hate him for the crap he put her through with her own operation.

He closed the distance between them, still watching her in the mirror as he pressed himself into her back.

“What he do to you?”

Her non-answer seemed like answer enough for him.

“He has a reputation for that,” Rio said finally, his gaze drilling so deeply into her own that she felt like he could see the abuse that Anthony had inflicted on her. The abuse that she thought she let go of, thought she had gotten over, and moved past.

“I hate him.”

“Good.”

“I hate you too.”

“Even better, darlin’.”

She turned, and without thinking, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him down to her. Her lips crashed against his in a bruising kiss.

His fingers immediately reached down to the hem of her dress, pulling it up to hips, leaving her standing in front of him in a pair of lace panties.

She reached for his pants, but he pushed her hands away, “Nah, we don’t got time for that.”

Instead, she watched as he sank down to her knees. He didn’t bother pulling her panties down, just pushed them aside. He met her gaze for a second before giving her a smirk.

Beth did her best to bite back a moan as he fingered her clit. It was embarrassing how wet she had gotten from just that single bit of contact.

She could feel him watching her, adjusting his teasing based on the way her body reacted. God he was barely even touching her, and still she felt ready to explode.

“I thought we didn’t have time,” Beth gritted out between soft sighs of pleasure.

“I always got time for this, Elizabeth,” he said, as the gravely tone of his voice intensified. 

He maneuvered one of her legs over his shoulder, and then replaced his finger with his tongue.

Beth grasped that the sink, clenching her hands around the rim to ground herself.

Her worked her slowly, still teasing her, just shy of giving just enough.

“Fuck,” Beth moaned, no longer able to keep it in, “God, Rio.”

That seemed to have done it, because his fingers were now thrusting into her at a devastating speed as he sucked on her sensitive clit, rolling his tongue over it until it almost hurt.

Beth couldn’t help the sounds her body emitted as he coaxed the orgasm out of her, continuing to torture her with his devilish tongue long after he needed to.

She moved her leg off his shoulders and tried to stand on her own weight, but her legs weren’t quite there yet. Luckily, Rio seemed to be able to hold her up just fine.

“You good, Ma?”

“Yeah,” Beth nodded slowly, “I’m good.

He nodded, before stepping back for a second to reach behind him to pull down paper towels out of the dispenser. He held them out for her.

Beth did her best to clean herself off.

Rio leaned against the door watching her pull her dress down.

Once Beth was ready, he opened the door, and then held of his hand for her.

She let him clasp his hand around hers and lead them back out to the party.

The bathroom break had been worth it. She felt more centered, more confident. She hadn’t been ready to play in this world back then, but she wasn’t that same little girl anymore.

She had grown from that, and she wasn’t going to let him have any more power of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this part.  
> Feel free to leave a comment or some feedback :)

**Author's Note:**

> Side note: The Detroit Partnership is a legit crime organization and does have Italian roots, which is why I needed Rio to be the slightest (1/8th) bit Italian.
> 
> Comments, feedback and constructive criticism is always welcomed.


End file.
